After graduating from Mississippi State University in 1976, Di
Rushing and her husband, Sam, found themselves back on their family
farm near Merigold, Mississippi, with 350 acres and no real clue
what to do. The couple decided to open the first winery in
Mississippi, and with it, a successful business was born. Six years
later, a small restaurant joined the Delta winery. Both businesses
were thriving by 1990, with eight national award-winning wines, a
beautiful vineyard, and a successful restaurant. But in March of
1990, a series of unforeseen events rocked the operation. After the
Rushings discovered one of the tour guides, Ray Russell, selling
drugs in the winery parking lot, they fired him. He responded with
a terrorizing vengeance that persisted over the next nine months.
In the early morning hours, the former guide broke into the winery,
crept into the wine cellar, and released the entire
inventory—nearly a quarter of a million dollars’ worth—down
the drain. Fortunately, his incompetence thwarted his most
destructive intention to blow up the restaurant. In his rampage, he
broke all the windows, which allowed the gas from the kitchen oven
to escape, sparing the premises. Though the Rushings rebuilt with
the help of their community, Russell continued to stalk and
threaten the young family. As his menacing behavior continued to
escalate, the Rushings closed their business of fourteen years and
moved to Ouray, Colorado, where they began rebuilding their lives.
Culminating in the sudden, violent murders of Russell, his wife,
and his father twenty-five years later, this book tells a story of
both shock and resilience, charting Mississippi history along with
way. Intertwined with the true crime narrative, The Delta in the
Rearview Mirror: The Life and Death of Mississippi’s First Winery
details author Di Rushing’s life in and out of Mississippi,
including growing up in 1960s Greenville, attending university,
traveling overseas, and the relationships she cultivated along the
way.
General
Imprint: |
University Press Of Mississippi
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
February 2024 |
Authors: |
Di Rushing
|
Dimensions: |
229 x 152mm (L x W) |
Pages: |
277 |
ISBN-13: |
978-1-4968-4929-8 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
1-4968-4929-9 |
Barcode: |
9781496849298 |
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